


Game On

by Bibliophile_812



Category: Archie Comics, Archie Comics & Related Fandoms, Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Badass Betty Cooper, Bickering, Detective Archie, Detective Jughead Jones, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Enemies to Lovers, Exes to Lovers, F/F, F/M, Friends to Enemies, Humor, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Investigative Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones, Journalist Betty Cooper, Lawyer Veronica, Love/Hate, M/M, Mild Smut, Murder, Mutual Pining, Protective Jughead Jones, Psychological Trauma, Rivalry, Slow Build, Slow Burn, past falice
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-15 12:27:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29064318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bibliophile_812/pseuds/Bibliophile_812
Summary: His giddiness wavered and the magical evening came crashing down with a too familiar voice in his ears, “Another one to join the Jones family business?”Sighing heavily, he turned to look into green eyes of the blonde who has been his arch nemesis for the greater part of last decade. She smirked and batted her eyelashes in an innocent way. Memory of those lashes fluttering softly against his neck and the same voice moaning his name in the dark burnt his ears.“Who allowed you to enter here, Cooper? Or, you just picked the lock, as always?”-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Veronica did not plan to fall for her brother's best friend. She hates clichés like that. But life had other plans.
Relationships: Alice Cooper & FP Jones II, Archie Andrews/Veronica Lodge, Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones, Fred Andrews & FP Jones II
Comments: 4
Kudos: 31





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Yes. Yet another new fic. Apparently, I missed writing the banter between bughead. So, here is another one with these two bickering and falling back in love. Oh, and Varchie is there too, with their own set of problems and mutual pining. Just few notes though.  
> Betty and Jughead might be with other people throughout the fic. So if you don't like that, this is probably not for you.  
> If you find some similarities between Jones family and Raegan family from Blue Blood, that is intentional . 😛  
> Falice never had a child in this fic though they definitely had a past.  
> That's all. Hope, you enjoy this. Please don't forget to give kudos/comments. I love to read your feedbacks in the comment section. So, please let me know what you think.
> 
> Mandatory Disclaimer: I don't own the characters.

_“I have a theory. Hating someone feels disturbingly similar to being in love with them.”_

_― Sally Thorne, The Hating Game_

Jones family house was bursting with enthusiasm. The head of the family, FP Jones, looked himself up and down in a full-sized mirror as his elder daughter Veronica fixed his tie. FP looked at his daughter fondly. His sister Hermione, who married Hiram Lodge – a questionable decision as per his opinion, lost her life during childbirth. FP did not think twice before he was legally adopting his niece who was only a year younger than his own son. Those two have grown up to be the closest allies along with their usual sibling banters and FP could not be happier for that. Thankfully, he never received any communication from Hiram to connect to his daughter. He was in no hurry to reveal the information about her birth parents to her. His wife strongly resisted the idea of having another baby at home. But then, she despised her own son, FP did not expect anything else from her.

Veronica was looking elegant as ever in a sheer black dress with her silky black hair flowing over her shoulders, smoky eyes and signature purple lipstick. The pearl around her neck was a gift from FP on her fifteenth birthday and she never goes anywhere without it. The living hall of the old brownstone was decorated neatly for a party planned to take place after they attend the academy’s graduation ceremony. The youngest Jones sibling, Jellybean Jones who prefers to go by JB, is graduating this time to become the latest addition to the law enforcement from Jones family.

“Ron, where is my hat?” a gruff voice came from upstairs. Jughead Jones, who chose his own name to go by after refusing to be known as FP Jones, the 3rd, is the eldest child of Jones household. He is also the proudest one in family for his baby sister to graduate academy successfully. He will never get over the fact that Veronica went for a law degree instead of joining the academy. Having only a few months of age difference, Jughead and Veronica have always been close. So, when his sister chose Harvard law over Academy training, he was upset beyond words. Though he begrudgingly admitted that having your own sister in DA’s office has its own perks for a NYPD detective.

Veronica rolled her eyes at her brother’s grumpiness. He hates to wear suits. She finished fixing her father’s tie and smoothed her hand over his shoulders twice with a satisfied smile before hurrying upstairs to tell Jughead that it was not a hat, it was a beanie and today was not the day to wear it.

Their doorbell rang at the precise moment the brother and sister stopped bickering over Jughead’s stupid beanie. FP glided towards the door happily humming a tune from his school days. His children snorted behind him.

“Does not he look too much happy to you?” the brunette whispered to her brother who nodded in agreement, “definitely happier than the time I graduated from Academy.”

The opened door revealed a beaming Fred Andrews with his son Archie on toe. Andrews and Jones families have treated each other like extended families for last three generations. Archie’s grandfather Arthur Andrews and FP Jones, Senior served as marines together. From that time, the families have been bonded deep. They have been neighbours since the time Fred and FP were made partners in NYPD. Fred loves Jones kids as his own. FP has always considered Archie as part of their family. Archie and Jughead have been joined at hips since the day they started to walk. They did everything together and finally graduated from Police Academy in the same year. Archie got promoted to detective a little later than Jughead. Though they are in the same precinct, they are not partners in their workplace. But everywhere else they are. Their mothers were also best friends, Gladys Jones and Mary Andrews. With one being in Police force and the other one being a lawyer, both the ladies had deep connection to New York law enforcement. When an accident caused both Mary and Gladys’s untimely demise, their families bonded stronger in grief. That has been eight long years. All three children were away in their college leaving only JB to deal with the news first hand. They do not know how the fourteen year old coped with that loss on her own. She has always been different. She loved hard rock. She was a champion of video games. She loved colouring her “boring black” hair in blue and pink streaks like a punk. She played guitar like a pro since she was ten. They all assumed that she would build her career in rock music or video games or something cool and cutting edge like that. But she resolved to join police force shortly after their mother’s death.

“Are we all ready to watch JB rock the graduation?” Fred asked grinning. FP threw his fists in air and shouted, “hell, yeah!”

All three youngsters sighed at their old man’s antics and hurried to Andrews car. FP insisted to come with them but his protective details would not allow that. Being the Police Commissioner of New York City comes at its own cost. He watched Fred driving off with Jughead riding shotgun and Veronica and Archie in the backseat, everybody chatting animatedly. At these times, he thinks that Fred might have been wiser than him to take the decision of an early retirement. He loves his job wholeheartedly. But he also misses spending quality time with his family. After their wives passed away, the two friends took two totally different routes to deal with that loss. Fred retired and started his own home renovation business. He even renovated the Jones family brownstone a few years back. FP immersed himself in work. Jughead and Veronica were already in college. He started being out in the field more and more. Working cold cases. Putting his life in danger chasing mob bosses and murderers. Finally, when Jughead came home from college one summer and caught his youngest sister smoking pot with two elder boys in their basement, in the middle of a day, he snapped at their father. Jellybean had to lose one year at school for terrible grades. FP realized that in the name of coping up with his misery he neglected his youngest daughter too much. It strained the relationship between FP and JB. But they repaired it over time. When he was offered the post of Police Commissioner, he felt ashamed initially. He felt he chose his job over his children. It was his reward for the negligence towards his own daughter. But his children convinced him that was not the truth. It was the reward for his service over the years, not for his crazy over-achiever mode for one year.

* * *

“You look beautiful, Ronnie”, Archie met her eyes shyly. Veronica could not control a faint blush tainting her cheeks.

“Thank you Archiekins. You don’t look so bad yourself.”

She has always been attached to Archie through her brother. He was her brother’s best friend. She has seen Archie fall for other girls, break his heart too many times, going through a silly singer phase during which time her brother threatened to sever all ties with him if he had to hear another sappy love song. She would never say that she had any crush on Archie Andrews in her high school days. He was always her brother’s “a little stupid but good hearted” best friend whose presence she enjoyed in any family gatherings, which was basically every day. He was not a necessity in her life. Or, she thought so. But as soon as he left for college, she felt a gaping hole in her daily routine. She missed Jughead immensely. But she realized that she was also missing Archie. A new tune in radio, a flower in full bloom or a sunny day always reminded her of him. His chiselled jaws, brown puppy eyes and broad muscular frame started appearing in her dreams. When they met again next summer, she noticed that her mind was totally out of control, conjuring inappropriate pictures of herself with Archie in her bedroom, she felt her throat strained each time she tried to start a conversation with him. Smallest of his casual compliments brought a blush to her face. She fought it for another year before giving in to the truth that Veronica Jones has fallen for the most clichéd love story, with her brother’s best friend. She was very good at hiding it. There was no way in world she would make a fool of herself in front of Archie and Jughead by showing her weakness. Till now, Jughead has been oblivious to this. But that is mostly because he trusts his sister to be honest with him. Otherwise, with his level of detective skills and observation power, he would get it in no time. Sometimes she wonders if Archie also feels the same tension between them. If he ever felt it, he never mentioned it.

* * *

Archie does not remember the time he first fell for his best friend’s sister. He has seen her every day from the day she was born, not that he remembers anything of it. He has seen her with angry pimples and messy bed hair. He had the first hand experience of witnessing her ugly crying with snoot all over her face in middle school after she suffered from her first heartbreak. While Jughead was out looking for the guy to punch him in the face, Archie was the one with comforting shoulder to his sister. He was there when she was drunk out of her wits on her eighteenth birthday. She did not dare to receive her brother’s facetime call and he ended up covering for her. He tucked her in bed after that drunken night. Over the years, he fell in love with different girls. At least, what he felt as love that time. Jughead would start snoring with a pillow over his ears as soon as he started talking about a new girl. She was the listener of his embarrassing teenage love stories and corny song lyrics. Then, one day suddenly he felt that she was the constant in his life. She has always been there and he cannot imagine a life without her. The days seemed brighter with her gorgeous smile and kind words. He had no idea if she ever looked at him like that. She probably regarded him only as her brother’s best friend. With any other girl, he might have taken a chance. But with her, he could not. Because, everything was at stake. His friendship with Jughead, the strong tie between their families and her casual presence all around him.

* * *

Fred pulled up the car in parking space. Madison Square Garden is alight with the happiness and pride of the family of tonight’s graduates. They took their assigned seats. FP was already there, waiting for them. Every time Jughead thinks about JB successfully making it, he feels proud for her. Their mother’s death was the toughest on her. He saw his baby sister’s transformation from a carefree teenager to a grown-up adult overnight. So, nothing, not even Veronica’s hard stares could prevent him from clapping and whooping loudly when JB walked the stage. His giddiness wavered and the magical evening came crashing down with a too familiar voice in his ears, “Another one to join the Jones family business?”

Sighing heavily, he turned to look into green eyes of the blonde who has been his arch nemesis for the greater part of last decade. She smirked and batted her eyelashes in an innocent way. Memory of those lashes fluttering softly against his neck and the same voice moaning his name in the dark burnt his ears. _Now is not the time, Jones_.

“Who allowed you to enter here, Cooper? Or, you just picked the lock, as always?”

* * *

If there is one thing Cooper clan believes in that is chasing the story. You need to chase the story and reveal the truth to the world, consequences can be damned. Hal Cooper started The Cooper Post as a daily newspaper. His wife Alice made it to the number one in contemporary journalism. She chased stories of corruption and covered up murders, she revealed ugly personal secrets and gossips, she led sting operations. She butted heads with NYPD regularly. She was even arrested several times with trespassing charges. But their business was thriving from all these exclusive scoops. Soon, they expanded their business to a live news channel exclusively for crime stories, “Crime TV”. Alice’s radiant yet fierce presentation of the stories resulted in ever increasing TRPs. Hal and Alice have two daughters, Pauline and Elizabeth or Polly and Betty as their friends called them. Both sharp, talented and married to journalism the moment they were born. Hal Cooper liked his daughters to grow into proper young ladies. He could present them proudly in the high society dinner parties. He made sure that they never cross the boundaries separating bravery and wildness. As per his opinion, stability in life was the most important thing.

Polly took a course in journalism in NYU and joined their parents working on the paper. After dating a string of men over the years, she married a dedicated reporter, Charles Reid, last year. Charles joined Cooper Post after their engagement and took his wife’s last name to maintain the family legacy of Coopers driving the business. Polly is exactly what her parents expected from their children. Driven, loyal and sophisticated. She is always presentable and polite at face. She does not let her heart dictate her brain.

Betty Cooper has been a rebel her whole life. She was smart but sensitive. She hated her mother’s attitude towards a story which sometimes could be described as borderline cruel. Her mother never cared for people she hurt or offended in the process of getting an exclusive piece for the paper. Alice tricked witnesses into revealing information, Alice went for controversial cases that would attract people’s attention. She did not support her mother’s craziness. She hated his father’s relentless approach to make them presentable and flawless. She was passionate about her life, her hobbies. She liked solving crimes on her own. She started an investigation column in her school newspaper with solo effort. She uncovered stories about a teacher who was a child predator, story of corruption in school cafeteria, exposé on the football team politics. With the resolution to go against family tradition, she joined Yale with Major in Criminal Psychology. She vowed to become a part of law enforcement after graduation. But at the end of the day, she had the journalism blood in her veins. Or, at least that is the only reason she gives others for changing her major to journalism after first semester of Sophomore year. Predictably, she joined as a crime reporter in Cooper’s business after graduation and after six long years, she is now regarded as one of the most efficient in her field.

Alice and Hal are eagerly waiting for Betty’s boyfriend Trevor Brown to join the Cooper Post. They are dating for over two years now. She met him through a common friend who is a fashion designer. He is the perfect one to be the younger son-in-law of Cooper family. He is polished and well-educated and is a journalism major from Columbia with a minor in fashion design. He has managed the fashion column in his college newspaper. He has worked in T magazine as a fashion journalist since his graduation. Alice already expressed their wish to start a monthly style magazine dedicated to fashion, living, beauty and design coverage and have him as the editor there. He appreciates fancy dresses and is comfortable in upscale parties. He gifts her Louis Vuitton and Gucci. He never forgets her birthday or her parent’s anniversary. She can feel Trevor trying hard to impress her parents. It is not like she does not appreciate his efforts. But somewhere something is always off. Trevor is ideal fit for her family. But is he the one for her? She likes him. He is easy-going, dedicated in his job and he does like her a lot. He never shies away to show his fondness for her. Something was still absent. She asked herself a lot of times. _What was missing_? Was it the smug attitude? The fierce honesty? Or, blue eyes sparkling with passion over solving a new mystery?

All of the above, Kevin would say. Kevin Keller, Betty’s best friend, always gives her a hard time about her love life. His boyfriend Fangs is the fashion designer common friend who set Betty and Trevor up for their first date. Kevin has known her from her kindergarten days. Kellers were the next-door neighbour of Coopers. They played in their backyard, built the tree house together, joined drama club. They attended the same school throughout their pre-college life. He was the only son of their high school principal. He was not there with her in her college and she missed him like anything. He attended the undergrad drama course in NYU Tisch School of the Arts and currently leading his own theatre group. Kevin has a strange ability to read people’s minds even when Betty was the one majoring in criminal psychology. And there is only one tiny problem with that. He has dismissed both of her last relationships being a ‘mere distraction’. She cannot even be mad at him knowing in her guts that he is probably right.

* * *

Trevor has a buddy graduating NYPD academy this year. He told her that his friend was in a construction business earlier. Then he lost his only sister in an act of gang violence and decided to join the law enforcement. It was a noble decision. Trevor’s friend, Sandy, invited them to the graduation ceremony, seeing he had no family left. She was recently busy with a story of missing prostitutes in a neighbourhood in Bronx and she totally forgot the information that the commissioner’s youngest child is walking the stage today. The latest addition to their old family tradition. As her luck would have it, she found her seat to be directly behind the infamous raven-haired man. They were a family of inky hair and olive skins. While Jughead inherited his soft blue eye colour from his father, Veronica and JB might have taken after their mother in that matter with almond shaped deep brown eyes. She looked at them with disdain. FP looks like a proud father as he gives his commissioner’s speech. Veronica’s presence is as impeccable as ever. Her brother’s face is shining with pride and pleasure. His lanky frame perfectly fit in a tailored black suit. Veronica must have been the one to insist him to wear it. His signature beanie gone. Beside him, his red-haired friend and his father, whom he always referred as his chosen family, are looking equally elated. As Jellybean walked to the stage, he started applauding loudly causing Betty to groan in frustration. She could not see him this happy. This was infuriating. Does he ever care for others? Trevor looked at her confused as she leaned on and whispered in Jughead’s ears, “Another one to join the Jones family business?”

He turned back annoyed. She felt a strange satisfaction to be able to ruin his mood. _Probably because you wanted to confirm you still have any effect on him._ A small voice inside her head, sounding strangely similar to Kevin’s, supplied.

“Who allowed you to enter here, Cooper? Or, you just picked the lock, as always?” he grunted. His words had an obvious reference to their older days. She felt her face heat up in embarrassment. Trevor stepped in between them as a gentleman and defended his girlfriend, “You might want to control your tongue while speaking to a lady.”

She should have swooned over the fact that Trevor is being protective of her. But all she really felt was irritation. She was not a damsel in distress. Trevor had no idea how many times she played a prostitute or fought with men double her size for a story. Then again, Jughead’s slightly quirked eyebrows and a twitch of his lips suggested her that he was judging her choice of boyfriend. So, she swallowed her pride and wrapped an arm around Trevor’s and mumbled, “it’s okay, babe.”

She cringed as soon as the words left her mouth. Trevor startled at her use of the intimate term of endearment. She never says anything like that. Apparently, Jughead saw right through her, as always and he turned back in his seat with only a slight shake of his shoulders as if stifling a laugh.

* * *

He could not concentrate on the ceremony after that. He nudged Archie to get his attention and they went outside for a smoke. He took a long drag of his cigarette as soon as they were in the open. Archie does not smoke, he stood there looking lost in thought. That was a rare look on his best friend. Normally, he does all the talking and Jughead just sits there listening, sometimes punctuating his stories with a sarcastic remark. Several minutes passed before the redhead spoke, “That was her.”

It was not a question. It was a statement. So, he did not bother to confirm it. Of course, Archie remembers her. He visited Jughead few times in his New Haven campus. It was inevitable that he would meet the blonde at some time. But Jughead does not want to waste his time thinking about the past today. Today was supposed to be a glorious day. A day of celebration. Instead, he is feeling exhausted now.

“I don’t know what she thinks of herself. Their whole family is…”, he had to cut Archie’s grumblings. He had to.

“Let it go, Arch.”

His best friend insisted, “No. She is just like her mother, ruthless and arrogant.”

He let out a frustrated sigh. He was in no mood for argument. But he cannot keep silent when he knows whatever idea his friend has of her is a wrong one. He hates her but that does not mean he does not know her.

“She is nothing like her mother. Now, please drop it. I don’t want to discuss her. Not today.”

* * *

She had a double date planned with Kevin after they left the graduation ceremony of Sandy. It was within walkable distance. But Trevor insisted on a cab.

“Why walk when we can afford paying for a cab?” was his logic. Betty did not point out that she loved walking on the streets of the city. She was feeling too tired for any disagreement.

Kevin and Fangs were waiting for them in a table. Kevin has the best taste in fine dining. It was another of his tried and tested authentic Italian place. He was bugging Betty for a long time to come here. Finally, she had the time today.

As soon as exchanging pleasantries were over, Trevor leaned a little and informed the men, “We saw the Police Commissioner today. Turns out he is a real good speaker.”

Trevor was a reporter in fashion column. Seeing the commissioner was not a regular occurrence for him. But his excitement was totally lost on Kevin who raised one eyebrow at his best friend instead, “And did you also see his son?”

She scowled at him and nodded, “unfortunately he was sitting right in front of us.”

Trevor’s eyes widened, “Wait. The black-haired man who insulted you was PC’s son?”

Kevin’s eyes danced in amusement, “he talked to you?”

Trevor scoffed, “Yeah. He was really cocky. I bet he is a good for nothing, living on his father’s good name.”

She felt her jaws tightened, “you don’t know what you are talking about.”

It was reflex action. She cannot sit there and let Trevor babble when she knows the truth. He looked shocked. And she immediately regretted her harsh tone. Kevin’s knowing smirk did not help either.

“I thought you would hate him after what he said?” Trevor looked at her with a baffled expression. She nodded slowly regaining her composure, “I do hate him. But the fact remains that he is the most talented detective NYPD has seen in last two decades.”

Kevin cleared his throat, “Not to pry or anything. But _what_ exactly did he say?”

Trevor was still collecting himself. But he jumped on the question, “he was very impolite. He said something like Betty broke into the ceremony uninvited. Can you imagine it?”

“Yeah, how insensitive”, the smirk on Fangs’s face matched Kevin’s and Betty wished nothing more than the earth to crack open and swallow her whole.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, kudos/comments are much appreciated, folks.

_“If you can just stop loving her then you never really loved her at all. Love doesn't work that way. If you ever truly love someone, then it never goes away. It can become something else. There are all different sorts of love. It can even become hate - a thin line and all that - and, really, hate is just another kind of caring.”_

_― Blakney Francis, Someone I Used to Know_

New York traffic has become absolutely worst. Jughead is never able to leave home with enough time in hand. He ends up speeding his car in the last part of the journey. The sweltering heat makes the experience worse. By the time he reached his desk, he was already grumpy.

“Ouch! Woke up on the wrong side of bed, Jones?” his partner chirped looking at his surly expression.

“At least I have a say on which side I would prefer to sleep on, bubble gum,” he quirked his eyebrows knowing the nickname has always irritated Toni.

Toni Topaz has been a constant in his life since he joined Academy. They were batchmates and then became partners. For a brief period of time Toni was stationed in Brooklyn before they both got promoted to detectives and partnered up again. Toni’s no-nonsense attitude and clear head makes her a perfect partner for him. She keeps him in check when he loses his temper on a perp too dumb to deal with. They dated for a while after graduating Academy. It did not work out. Toni is clear on the reason that he was not over a certain girl, she assumes that was his college girlfriend. He dismisses that idea completely. As per him, it did not click because he considers Toni as a perfect partner and nobody should get involved with their partner, it affects your performance. He is happy for Toni though. She found her love in Cheryl and he never stopped reminding them the fact that he was quite the matchmaker there, albeit unknowingly.

Cheryl Blossom is the twin sister of his ex-partner Jason Blossom, the only other partner he ever had apart from Toni. They were partners for only six months but they became close easily. He is not a person who makes friend often. But Jason’s comforting and easy-going nature made him more of a big brother to Jughead than partner. Jason was killed in the line of duty on a day Jughead took off and he was partnered with someone else. They got a call from an area infamous for gangs. Jason died while protecting his partner that day. Jughead and Cheryl bonded over their mutual grief. He was never very fond of Cheryl before that. She was opposite to Jason, immature and arrogant. But once she let him break through her exterior and see her soul, he realized that she is a friend to be preserved. He went to Jason’s grave on his death anniversary with Toni. Cheryl was there. He introduced them. Till date, he does not know when and how they hit it off. Based on their first meeting, he would have said it was quite unlikely. Toni reminded Cheryl of her brother’s loss more because she was Jughead’s new partner. So, the introduction part was pretty rough as Cheryl kept shooting daggers at Toni as if she was somehow responsible for Jason’s death. But three years later, they are a happily engaged couple now.

“Alright. What do we have today?” he plopped on his chair with a mug full of black coffee, hoping the bitter liquid to lift his mood. His desk has piles of open cases. It does not matter how many cases they close, the height of the pile never seems to reduce.

“I guess you have a visitor”, Toni looked up from her desk and smiled at someone behind him. He spun his chair to face Veronica, looking perfectly put together as if she has a walking a.c. fit on her body, with a takeaway bag of food.

“Please tell me you have got me greasy burgers”, he stretched his hands to take the bag from her.

“I got you the greasiest burgers”, she confirmed and pulled a chair to sit on. He let a satisfied moan skip his mouth as he took the first bite of the burger. It was his favourite. And, he skipped breakfast today, like many other work days. It was only after enjoying almost half of the burger in silence his suspicion rose. Why the hell his sister is visiting him at his workplace with his favourite food? It was surely a bribe. Not like she never visits him here. But she never visits him without plan for lunch or dinner or work.

“What do you want?” he asked, incredulous.

Her eyebrows shot up to her hairline and then an amused grin tugged at her lips, “Am I that obvious?”

“Maybe, maybe not, but I’m a detective, remember?” he finished the rest of his food in two quick bites. Better to enjoy the taste before Veronica brings up some task that he would definitely be unwilling to perform.

“Okay, you need to talk to dad.” She took a deep breath.

“About what?”

“About Sweet Pea coming for Sunday dinner.”

“Ugh!” he leaned back on his chair in frustration. “Why JB chose to date a guy named Sweet Pea, I would never understand.”

“Says a guy whose name is Jughead”, Toni supplied unhelpfully.

“Hey! That’s my chosen name”, he glared at his partner.

She rolled her eyes, “Okay, let me rephrase. Says a guy who willingly _chose_ his name to be Jughead!”

“Let’s get back to the matter in hand”, Veronica interrupted impatiently.

“Did JB ask you for this?” he frowned at his sister.

She shook her head, “No. She would never do that. She just planned to show up for dinner with Sweet Pea on Sunday. I don’t want dad to freak out. You know how he hates surprises.”

He knows. He would never forget the Christmas when Veronica came home with her college boyfriend Adam Chisholm. FP almost threw Adam out. Poor guy never understood what his mistake was. If he knows beforehand, he might run some background checks on Sweet Pea, but that’s fine. Jughead already ran that himself. The guy is clean.

“Okay I will inform dad”, he assured her. She gave a contented hum in response.

They were soon interrupted by Archie and his partner, Reggie. Jughead grimaced. He has never really liked Reggie. Especially when his gorgeous sister was around. Reggie’s eyes always hover over her exposed legs and other body parts.

“Wow Jones. Talk about sex on legs! You should visit your brother more often. I could use the view!” Reggie winked suggestively. Jughead was about to remind him that was his sister he was talking about but Veronica beat him to it, “I beg your misogynistic pardon?”

Her voice hard and professional. It was the attorney’s voice.

Toni snickered from her place, “How many times we need to tell you Mantle? Don’t mess with a lady who regularly puts sex offenders behind the bars.”

* * *

Archie was visibly uncomfortable with these exchanges. He likes Reggie as a partner. But Reggie’s idea about girls in general, bothers him. And he feels enraged when any of his sexist comments are directly aimed at Veronica. He knows that she is a grown-up girl who can take care of herself. That is one more reason why he likes her. But that does not lessen his disdain for Reggie in those times. When they went to pantry to fill their mugs for coffee, he saw her coming in. He was mesmerized by her. Leave it to Veronica Jones to look gorgeous at any time of day, in any outfit. She lights up every room wherever she enters. Today she was in black formal skirt and white blouse completed with her pearl necklace and pointed heels. She delicately pushed back strands of shiny black hair behind her shoulders and her purple painted lips parted in silent smile at something her brother said. At that moment Archie wondered how could she be so perfect. She was like a ray of sunshine in their otherwise dull and gloomy office space.

After destroying Reggie with her sassy reply, she excused herself to leave. Archie could not help but follow her to the lobby. He did not see Jughead and Toni’s exchange of amused looks and Reggie’s scowl. The raven-haired woman beamed at him once out of earshot from others.

“Thanks for walking me to the elevator, Archie. I really appreciate your concern.”

Her voice was light with a teasing lilt in it. His face flushed. He could not think of a reply to match her. Although he never truly wanted to match her. He enjoyed her sassiness and loved it when she rendered him speechless which is more often than not. Jones siblings always have their witty comebacks ready in any situation.

“I’m sorry for Reggie”, he told her earnestly. Her features softened. She lightly touched his arm, “Oh Archiekins. You are too precious for this world.”

He almost melted at her touch. Her floral perfume making him dizzy. Their close proximity pooling heat in the pit of his stomach. He willed himself not to lean on and press a kiss on her cheek. The elevator door opened with a ding and she waved her goodbye before stepping in. As soon as the door closed, he felt the warmth around him missing.

“Do you think he would ever gather the courage to express his feelings for her?” Toni mused. Jughead grunted, “if he does not, I have to tell Ron. I can’t endure another phase of heartbroken Archie Andrews writing and singing tear-jerking sad songs.”

* * *

Betty was finishing her third lap around the park when her phone buzzed. It was Trevor. Of course, it was him. He never starts his day without a good morning message to her and he never fails to call and check on her if she does not reply. Today, she did not. Her mind has been disturbed for last few days. He has behaving slightly different since the day she accidentally met Jughead in Academy graduation. It’s not that they don’t face each other often. In fact, the opposite. They cross paths more times than she would like to. But that is all related to their work. It was different meeting him in a neutral ground, with Trevor by her side. Trevor is not acting distant though. If anything, he has become more involved (if that’s even possible). Yesterday he even hinted that he would like her to move in with him. It’s been more than two years. It should be an easy and welcome development in their relationship. But she does not know why dread filled her chest as soon as she understood Trevor was willing to take the next step. She loved her separate space. She was not quite prepared to tangle her daily life with him yet. A nagging voice in the back of her head keeps telling her that she might never be prepared for that.

“Hey babe”, came his cheery voice as she received the call. She wished her worries would stop every time he calls her that. Oblivious to her inner turmoil, he continued in an excited tone, “Guess who’s in the city?”

She had no idea.

“It’s Martha Kaufmann!” he exclaimed. Then he blabbered on about the gracious style of the German model. Apparently, she came here on a three-day-long photoshoot and planned a press event that evening.

“Do you want to come with me?” he asked hopefully. She really does not. She has a lot of work. Her story about the missing prostitutes needs time. But she felt bad to turn him down. Specially after last few days of avoiding the move-in topic. So, she agreed to meet him at the event venue in evening.

* * *

She found Alice easily in the makeup room, preparing to appear on the TV for their daily crime news.

“Any new information on those missing callgirls, honey?” she asked while applying a fresh coat of red lipstick on her lips. She shook her head, frustrated, “They won’t talk mom. Nobody is ready to talk to me. Maybe we should inform the police?”

“Absolutely not!” Alice screeched. She almost jumped at the sudden sharpness in her mother’s voice.

“If we call Police, the scoop would lose its exclusiveness, Elizabeth. You need to cover the story discreetly. If you are not making a progress there, move on to a fresh story. Missing hookers are not a very sellable topic anyways.” She resumed her work on her appearance.

Betty sighed and left the room. Her interests have always clashed with her mother. She does not go after juicy gossips. She wants to utilize the power of journalism to help people. Alice never agrees on that. For her, journalism means search for truth, not helping people. The more controversial the truth is, the more TRP it will bring to the channel and the publication.

Polly greets her at the lobby. She just got an exclusive interview from the Mayor on upcoming Mayoral election. Her pleasure radiated through her smile. She felt happy for Polly. Polly never had any issues to fit herself into the Cooper approved mould. Why cannot she be like her? Both sisters talked for some time before Polly had to get back to work and she got a call from one of the girls she gave her number to. She lost hope that any of them would actually come forward and call her. The girl’s name was Cherry, she is sure that was not her real name. Cherry informed her that her friend, Emma did not come home after she left last night. Betty bolted out through their office door and sped in her car in no time.

Cherry met her in a dingy bar. She felt all eyes on her as she entered. She was surely out of place with her blonde ponytail and baby blue sweater. The young girl was sitting on a bar stool, she nodded at her discreetly. She took her seat beside her.

“order a drink and don’t look at me”, the girl in dark red bralette top and fitted short skirt whispered. She followed her suggestion. While she was sipping the beer in hand, Cherry narrated her story. She shares an apartment with Emma. Emma has a baby and her mother comes to take care of the baby when Emma goes for whole night. Yesterday she saw Emma come back late at night from one of her regular customers. They waved at each other and Cherry was talking to one of her regulars. When she looked back Emma was gone. There was a black sedan parked in the neighbourhood and that was gone too. So, she figured it was some customer and Emma went with them. But she did not come back in the morning. She never does that. She loves her baby. And now her mother needs to go to work, Cherry needs to be out for work, there’s no one to take care of the baby.

“Find her. Please find her”, Cherry’s voice broke at the end. But before Betty could react, she was throwing the money for her drink and walking out of the bar. Betty sat there for some time. She examined the crowd. Mostly leather clad biker gang people. Some girls whom she saw earlier on streets sitting on the laps of older men who were shamelessly groping them. She finished her beer slowly to avoid any suspicion and left. Although she knew her presence already raised many eyebrows, she wanted to save Cherry from the questions of others.

There was no time to change or shower before she had to meet Trevor at the venue.

* * *

Jughead was nose deep in an open case file when his boss called both him and Toni to his cabin. He sounded urgent. They looked at each other but could not find any pressing issues that would require such urgent summoning in Sergeant’s office. As they knocked on Sergeant Morgan’s door, he ushered them inside and locked the door behind them. There were few moments of silence in which both the detectives were apprehensive of what was going to happen.

“Hey Sarge, you are scaring us”, finally Toni broke it.

Their boss scanned their faces once again before speaking up, “okay. I know you are not going to like this assignment.”

“Oh boy!” mumbled Jughead. Is today the day of agreeing to all his nightmarish responsibilities?

Sergeant Morgan ignored him and continued, “There is a world-famous German model in the city. She came for a photoshoot. But yesterday her personal security guard was shot and she got a threatening letter after that. The man is still in coma. The lady is shell-shocked. We want to deal with the matter quietly. A foreigner getting threatened in our city looks bad. Special task force has already been assigned the task of finding the shooter and they are working on it. But the 1PP has requested our officers to protect her on a special assignment. Now, I have only you two in my squad whom I can offer.”

Both of them groaned audibly. Their boss ignored them again and produced a file, “Her name is Martha Kaufmann and all the details are in this file.” Then he paused and studied the bemused expression on the detectives’ faces, “would you like to explain why you two took the special training if you are going to hate it so much?”

Okay. That was something they went for on a whim. They never imagined that special training course would land them as the personal bodyguards of some fashion model.

“how long?” Toni grumbled accepting the file. Sergeant beamed at them, “only for three days.”

“Jones, you ready for this?” she poked him in the ribs with her elbow.

“So ready for three days in hell”, he deadpanned.

* * *

She met Trevor exactly on time outside the luxury hotel where the event is supposed to take place at an open terrace. Trevor was shocked at her outfit. He could not digest the fact that his girlfriend could show up for a fashion world’s event in sweater and jeans. She could read the disapproval on his face but she ignored it. She was not in a mood to explain herself. He already does not know any of her ventures to the red-light area. He would never approve of that also. Neither will her father. She learnt to keep these little truths from them long ago. Her mother, while never directly encourages her adventures, she would not rat her out as long as the story is exclusive.

The place was beautiful. There was a doorman who checked their press pass and let them enter. There were representatives from all fashion magazines. Trevor knows all of them, he got engaged in small talks. They enjoyed the wide array of buffet food and mocktails. After some time, a lady walked in and all conversation died down to whispers. There was a makeshift stage on one side. The woman took the stage, soft lighting illuminating her elegant features. Betty admitted to herself that she was worth all the craze these people were showing, the excitement her boyfriend was having. She whispered to him, “She is beautiful”.

Trevor looked mildly confused but he nodded along, “yeah she is. But she is no Martha Kauffman.”

_Wait. What? This is not her?_

The woman already grabbed the mike and started speaking by the time Betty came out of her shocked phase.

“I appreciate all of you gathering here together. But I am really sorry to inform you that Ms. Kauffman will not be able to make an appearance today. She sends her deepest regrets for not being able to present here. Thank you all for your understanding.”

Trevor made a disappointed noise along with many others in the gathering. But Betty’s interest was piqued suddenly. Why was the model not making an appearance? There must be some mystery. Next moment, her curiosity skyrocketed as she saw the familiar tall and lanky frame lingering over the entrance, scanning the crowd.

The crowd started to disperse and leave. Trevor was so upset that he did not notice his girlfriend picking up pace and reaching directly in front of the man at the door.

“Fancy seeing you here, Jones. I don’t remember latest fashion being your area of expertise.”

The raven-haired man looked at her and one side of his lips twitched into something like a smirk, “Neither do I, Cooper. Since when you switched to fashion journalism?”

Trevor furrowed his brows at the exchange. Last time he understood that they knew each other or crossed paths in professional world but he never thought they were actually close. Something in his girlfriend’s features changes whenever she speaks to this man. It is not an expression of fondness. Of course, not. She made it very clear that she hated this man. But the way her whole body vibrates with liveliness while talking to him, makes Trevor a little uneasy. As if she is not the same Betty Cooper he knows, upright, composed and perfect. A hidden wildness and passion peek through her eyes. Her demeanour changes ever so slightly but she still feels so radically different from the woman he loves.

“Why are you really here, Jones?” she whisper-shouted, unable to contain her excitement.

“Police business. Why are you really here, Cooper?” he replied with a stoic face.

“Journalism business. I think I can smell a story,” she shot back.

“I think you should consult an otolaryngologist,” he wiggled his eyebrows at her, then seeing the perplexed expression on her partner’s face, explained smoothly, “to treat you for olfactory disorder.”

“Relax Detective. I was kidding. I’m just here accompanying my boyfriend”, she wrapped her arm around Trevor’s bicep and squeezed for good measure.

“Noted.” He gave a curt nod, “Now can you please leave?”

She smirked, “Only because you asked nicely.”

She walked to the elevator with confident steps feigning her disinterest, not looking back once. Not even to acknowledge her boyfriend who jogged to catch up. Her plan was already made.

“Do you know which hotel Ms Kauffman is staying at?” she asked innocently once they were back in a cab on the way to home. He looked at her suspiciously, “Yeah, I have that information somewhere. Why do you ask?”

“Just curious”, she shrugged noncommittally.

* * *

Jughead hurried inside the hotel suite where he and Toni are currently stationed to protect Ms. Kauffmann. It’s a luxury suite in a five star establishment, already secured enough. But not enough to stop Betty Cooper. Ms. Kauffman’s manager was in the living area, going over the photoshoot schedule. He promptly approached him, “how soon you can plan an alternate staying arrangement for Ms. Kauffman?”

The young man looked startled and then blood drained from his face, “do you think the shooter can attack here?”

“Maybe. Her travel itinerary was published in media. The shooter will know her location.” He offered cautiously.

The manager nodded in understanding and got engaged in a series of phone calls seemingly trying to arrange for another luxury suite in another posh establishment.

Toni raised a questioning eyebrow, “we did not have a plan for relocation. Are you really this much afraid of a random shooter?”

“No Toni. I’m afraid of the press getting hold of a story.” He hissed back, keeping his gaze fixed on the manager.

Toni studied his face for a minute and realization dawned on her, “Betty Cooper?”

He only scoffed.

“What was she doing in a fashion event?” she asked irritated. Cooper’s Crime TV has always over-criticised NYPD. And Betty Cooper has made it her life’s motto to compete with them in solving a crime. Toni would unwillingly admit that the blonde was damn good at that. Every time a crime discovered or solved by her daughter without the help from NYPD, Alice Cooper will question the competency of entire police department.

Jughead did not answer her last question. Toni watched him as he went to discuss with the manager the details of relocation. She does not know the whole story between them. She knows that Alice Cooper has always waged a war against Jones men. First when FP Jones, Senior was the PC and now with his son being appointed as the commissioner. But there was something else than usual Cooper-Jones rivalry in the relationship of Jughead and Betty. They hated each other like their life depends on it. They always tried to beat the other one in smartness and intelligence. It has become like a game of chess. A game where only those two are allowed to play, always trying to guess the other one’s next move. She did not even know where they first met. The first time she saw them face each other, their eyes locked in an intense staring battle and their lips quirked downwards in a brusque expression. She suspected the game already started long before that.

* * *

_Jughead did not want to be recognized as the grandson of former Police Commissioner and son of the current Chief of Detectives, NYPD in college. He had enough experience in high school where people wanted to get close to him only because they thought a connection with him can get them a free out-of-jail card for marijuana possession or DUI charges. Little did they know that his family is strictly against any kind of favouritism. If anything, they were under harsher scrutiny for any misbehaviour. Specially from their mother. Jughead, along with a few other boys from his high school, slashed the tyres of their principal’s car in Junior year. It was their way of protesting against the man for making a few of their classmates stay back in the same class due to low attendance. Their mother arrested him on vandalism charges and he did a total hundred hours of community service after paying the fine charged from his own savings. After Veronica broke her curfew at the age of sixteen and she was found drunk in a friend’s party (which she snuck out to), Gladys arrested her for underage drinking and made her stay in a jail cell overnight. As soon as Jughead came to know this, he rushed to the station to post her bail. He appreciated the unbiased nature of his parents and he knew that his grandfather also treated their father the same way. But with their mother, it was sometimes unbearable. They were not allowed to be a carefree teenager even for once. They were not allowed to drink or stay at a friends’ place or attend a party or miss school. Gladys has never been affectionate with her elder children. Jellybean was the only one getting to know a little bit softer side of her. The elder Jones kids knew that their mother somehow blamed them for a setback in her career. She was a rookie cop when she was pregnant with Jughead. She was forced to take a break instead of advancing in her career like her other batchmates. Then within another year, Veronica came into their lives. She never directly told them anything, of course. But it was the terms like “if it were not for you two” and “after what I sacrificed for you two”, that got both the siblings on edge constantly._

_In short, Jughead did not want any fake friends in college, befriending him for his family name. So, he simply took the name of “Forsythe Jughead J” while applying and prayed nobody pries about the full form of J. He hated lies. But in the first class of his first year, he saw another of his classmate using similar style with her nickname, shortening it to C. She had a blonde ponytail and meadow green eyes on her pretty face. And from the very first day, he felt a special connection to her. It was probably silly, as his sister pointed out, to bond over their choice of shortened nickname. But he never felt such connection to anyone before. His fascination for her only grew more when he read an article in campus newspaper written by her, on the food quality of their dining hall. She presented the mundane topic in such an investigative manner with timeline and all, that made the piece really enjoyable. He never approached her to talk despite of being in the same class for PSYC 110. But one day, the chance came in form of a curly haired girl, Sabrina, who was also in the same class with them and worked in a small café he frequented._

* * *

It was late at night when Betty finally managed to slip out of her bed and tiptoed around her apartment to get dressed into black hoodie and leggings. Trevor was blissfully asleep under the sheets. She tried to send him home today but he was already upset about the failed press event. So, she could not exactly deny him when he wanted to spend some time with his beautiful girlfriend. It was little risky to go on a midnight rendezvous while he is there. He might wake up and search for her. She would have to have some excuse ready. She can always rely on Kevin to cover for her though. She closed the door swiftly with almost no noise. Within half an hour she found herself in front of the luxury establishment, Ms Kauffman is supposed to be staying at as per her schedule. She was thankful that Trevor did not ask many questions about her interest in a fashion model’s travel itinerary. She parked her car in the side of the road and started circling the perimeter of the hotel to find any way to get in. She was in the back alley, her eyes squinted in a struggle to make out if the wall has any deadly security system installed or it’s just good old barbed wire. A tap on her shoulder caught her off guard. She clutched the pepper spray and sprung around only to meet the cerulean blue eyes of her sworn enemy.

“Hello, Cooper”, he greeted her in a cheery voice. “Please tell me you are not planning to trespass any private property tonight.”

She gritted her teeth realizing he outmatched her this time. She held up her hands in mock defeat and turned around to walk back to her car.

He called from behind, “let me know if you need any help finding your car. I might have seen a tow truck few minutes back.”

She cursed under her breath, “this is not finished, Jones.”

“Of course, not”, he was practically beaming at her. “I will eagerly wait for our next meeting. Until then, sayonara.”

With a two-finger salute he walked backwards before turning back on his heels and disappearing into the dark.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have updated the tags. Please have a look at them before you continue reading. As always, kudos/comments are highly appreciated.

_“Both love and hate are mirror versions of the same game - and you have to win. Why? Your heart and your ego. Trust me, I should know.”_

_― Sally Thorne, The Hating Game_

Betty was preparing for her retaliation carefully. She does not remember exactly when they started this. But it has become a never-ending chain of rounds. Her looking for a scoop, him trying to wrap up the case quietly even before she has the wind of it. Sometimes, when they both are aware of a crime, competing against each other to solve it. It has become more than a game. It has become the sole purpose of her life. Winning against Jughead Jones. She does not know if he keeps a count, but she does. Till now, it is a tie. It has always been a tie. But with the last incident of the German model, she thinks he might be just one step ahead. So, she needs to close the distance and get ahead of him as quickly as possible.

She is working actively to have a solution for the disappearance of the prostitutes. There has been three missing till date, over the course of two weeks. She had the only connection that all were brunette. Their heights and builds were average. But they all had varying eye and skin colours which suggests whoever is behind this does not care about that physical trait. She got only one eye witness, Cherry to link the disappearance of Emma with a black Sedan. She does not have a number plate. But she does have a plan. A plan to settle the scores once again.

She examined the alley where Cherry last saw her friend. There was a handicapped parking spot. Cherry was not entirely sure if the car was parked precisely on that spot but she managed to talk to some other girls to know that the same sedan was seen many times parked on that exact same spot. Betty searched the list of people with handicapped permit within a ten miles radius. No name popped up as suspicious. But she still worked on that list to discard anyone who was impossible to commit a crime like that. At the end of that exercise also it was just too many names.

Betty informed Alice and only Alice about her plan. While the elder woman scrunched her nose in disgust and rubbed her temple as if to soothe her headache at this idea, she did not oppose it. She told her to be careful and wished her luck. She knew that her mother only cared about the fact that this story could be a way to make NYPD look like incapable in taking care of its citizens. And the commissioner to look like he does not care about the population living in the darker side. But still her best wishes meant a lot. This was such a plan she could only discuss with her mother. That somehow made her feel closer to Alice.

She had plan to stay at a nearby motel for the duration of this operation. So, she told Trevor that she would be out of town for a few days to cover a story. To her utter disappointment, he promptly offered to accompany her. He said that he was not having any urgent assignment at work. He had lots of unused time off. He would love to come with his wonderful girlfriend and keep her company. She had to tell him another lie about her work being a top secret one. Which was partly true. He looked upset. But did not insist further.

The night before she was set for her supposed out of town trip, he wanted to take her out to dinner. Her immediate urge was to turn him down. She had to check her bags to make sure she did not miss anything. She needed some mental preparation before going undercover as a girl on street. She was secretly doing research to learn the body language and vernacular of the prostitutes in that area so that she could do her part convincingly. And she was in no mood for a romantic dinner in a fancy restaurant. But she could not think of an excuse to refuse the offer.

They found their table in the middle of the sophisticated diner. The table setting was decorative. The food was amazing. The ambience was quiet. But all she could think of was the next day when she would stand in the streets in the infamous neighbourhood. Or the night when the black sedan would reappear how she would execute her plan. She was so immersed in her own thoughts that she did not notice when the waiter had set a wine basket on their table. Her reverie broke when there was a collective gasp around them and she saw her boyfriend going down on one knee with a red velvet box open in his palms. A magnificent diamond ring shining under the overhead chandelier. Her body became tense. Her breathing heavy. She blinked rapidly as if that would help erasing the scene that was unfolding in front of her. Trevor had a confident smile on his face, “Elizabeth Victoria Cooper, will you marry me?”

She cannot take it. Not now. Not right before she was going to cover a thrilling but risky story. She does not know if she will ever be ready to marry Trevor or anyone else. But she was certainly not ready to deal with a proposal tonight. His smile faltered at her silence.

“I’m sorry”, she whispered. She really was. Trevor has been nothing but kind and loving to her. It was not his fault. He did not deserve to be humiliated in front of a restaurant full of people. But she could not imagine a life with him, sharing a house, enjoying the joys and sorrows of life together. She could not imagine sharing a part of her soul with him. Maybe she already filled that part with so much hatred for someone else that there was no space left to love anyone.

* * *

_She liked to think of herself as a complete person on her own, without her parents’ surname tagging after her name. So, when she applied for colleges, she did not use her family name. In Yale, she was Elizabeth Betty C. Strangely enough she found another student in her first PSYC 110 class using a shortened surname, Forsythe Jughead J. She figured that many people are out there who wants to escape their parental influence at the first chance available. She became fast friends with her dorm partner, Midge. She was a decent dormmate, if only she could stop questioning about her life. Most of the time, Betty gave vague details. She told Midge that she had an elder sister and her parents are journalists but refrained from mentioning that they owned the Cooper Post. Midge was a talkative girl. She continuously chattered about her home, her parents, her baby brother. That was good for Betty as she had the chance to often zone out in the middle of her roommate’s long stories about her childhood. Also, she could deflect any question Midge asked about her family towards Midge’s hometown and brother. She made a few friends in her class including a curly haired cute girl, named Sabrina and a muscular brunette boy named Chuck. Betty enjoyed college life. She liked all her classes and she joined the Yale Daily News at the first opportunity. Chuck had known someone in the editorial team there, someone in Senior year from his hometown. He was not very keen on working in the College paper but Betty figured out his interest in her was a little more than platonic when he ended up joining the paper with her. She was not sure how she felt about Chuck. She never had a boyfriend in High School. She never had the time, juggling between her studies, maintain a GPA of 4.0 and a long list of extra-curriculars did not leave her with the time to afford a serious relationship. But she knew if Chuck asked her out, she would accept gladly._

_Weeks passed quicker than she anticipated with her being used to share a room with another girl, completing assignments on time and work in the paper. She had a lot in her plate but she could not complain. On one fine morning, she just came back from her morning run, when Midge appeared beside her with her phone in hand. She was smiling broadly. Betty quirked a questioning eyebrow at the red-haired girl. Her roommate just handed the phone to her wordlessly. It was open to the website of their campus humour magazine, The Yale Record. A piece written by Forsythe Jughead J. The piece was based on the author’s experience with a group of youngsters in a small vintage bookstore near the campus. It was written wonderfully, every line laced with sarcasm but not in a rude way. She could not help as a wide grin spread across her lips. It was funny and thoughtful at the same time. She double checked the author’s name and remembered him from her Criminal Psyche class. She initially noticed him for the unusual choice of nickname and avoiding the full surname just like her. That was when she saw that he was quite handsome in a careless and broody way of appearance. His witty comments in some of the sessions made the entire class chuckle, sometimes even the professors. She caught Sabrina, along with a few other girls, looking at the boy longingly several times._

_The same day Midge showed her his article, Sabrina asked her if she would like to join her and Jughead with Chuck._

_“It’s not exactly a double date”, the petite girl’s cheek turned a shade of pink. “But Chuck likes you and he was looking for a chance to ask you out. And I presented it as friends’ hanging out to Jug, otherwise he would not agree to come.” She finished nervously._

_Betty flashed her an encouraging smile, noting the use of a nickname, “how do you know him? I mean other than the class we all share.”_

_“Oh…I work at the campus coffee shop part time and he is a regular there.” She was still blushing._

_The small and cosy café they planned to meet at was a mere ten minutes walk from the campus. It had an outdoor seating arrangement and she grabbed one table looking over the small road busy with people. Betty, being the over-punctual under years of Cooper parenting, arrived earlier than others. She put on a cream coloured blouse with a denim skirt with her pink jacket draped over her shoulders. Chuck arrived next, sliding to take the chair seat her. He had a sheepish grin on his face and produced a small bouquet of flowers as he took his seat. She was touched by this sweet gesture and thanked him genuinely. Sabrina came with one arm loosely curled around Jughead’s bicep. And Betty could not help but notice the leather jacket hanging on his lean body making him appear sexier than he looks in his signature flannel shirts and jeans. He had a grey woollen beanie on his head, an unruly black curl escaping the confines and hanging over his soft blue eyes. He was not sturdy in the way Chuck was but his lean and tall frame had all muscles in the right place. Before she realized that she was shamelessly gawking at her classmate, a look of recognition flickered through his eyes, “Elizabeth, right? You wrote the piece on quality of food in campus newspaper?”_

_She felt her face heat up but did not quite know why. Was it the fact that he read her article and remembered her because of it? Or, because he knew her name? Or because his voice was really attractive like his physique? She was not a shy kind of girl who would blush easily. Rather, her high school friends would vouch for the fact that she was the kind of girl who could make any person blush or cry on any given day. Yet there she was, profusely red on her cheeks, trying to find a way to reply to him._

_“Please call me Betty”, was apparently all she could manage which was so dumb to say as a response._

_He chuckled before crashing on the seat opposite to her, “only if nobody reminds me of my first name.”_

* * *

Veronica made shepherd’s pie for Sunday dinner. This was Archie’s favourite. She got this recipe from grandma Andrews when she was fifteen. Since then, she tries to make it on every occasion that is important to Archie. Over the years she has perfected her skills. Even her brother agreed to that. Pleasing her own family members with cooking is an easy task. All of them are always hungry and they appreciate a full meal any time of the day. Moreover, throughout their childhood they had mostly survived on take outs. Neither FP nor Gladys was interested in cooking. So, everybody in Jones household gets happy with the prospect of a home-cooked meal. They do not mind if it’s perfect in taste or not. Andrews family, on the other hand, has a bunch of really good chefs. They cook to release stress. Fred’s mother had some amazing unique recipes of her own. Fred and Mary both always had enjoyed making something tasty and new at home. Archie also inherited this knack for cooking from his parents. So, the first time Archie praised Veronica’s pie, she went red for more than one reason. She saw her brother rolling his eyes at her but did not want to ruin that moment by acknowledging him. After following the same recipe for almost twelve years regularly, she is quite confident with this item now. Today she made it mostly to welcome Sweet Pea to his first Jones-Andrews Sunday dinner. This weekly dinner has been a tradition since before they were born. Grandpa Jones and Andrews started it, FP and Fred followed their footsteps with their growing families. She is pretty certain that her brother and Archie will continue this practice with their families. Sometimes, her mind wildly imagines how it would feel to come to this dinner as Archie’s wife.

She jumped when a paper ball hit the back of her head. Glaring at her brother’s grinning face, she went back to spreading mashed potato on top of the meat in baking tray. Archie followed Jughead to enter the kitchen and immediately beamed at her, “you are making grandma’s recipe?”

Her heart skipped a few beats at that boyish grin.

Jughead scoffed, “she is making that recipe for so many years and customized so many things, I highly doubt any originality is left.”

“Don’t listen to Jug. He is just jealous that he cannot cook like you”, the redhead threw the paper ball back at his friend.

“I’m happy with whatever ability I have, Andrews”, Jughead patted his stomach with pride and left when FP called him to help setting up the table.

She tamed her fast beating heart as they fell into easy conversation. It has become like a second nature for her after all these years of pining over Archie Andrews. She knows that she cannot avoid him. Neither at home nor at work. So, she had to hide her crush in front of others.

Dinner went smoothly even with FP’s suspicious looks at Sweet Pea and Jughead protectively placing himself in between JB and her boyfriend. Veronica takes pride in being a liberal big sister. But today she found herself examining Sweet Pea’s every move. He is a nurse. He seems a kind and soft-spoken person. But Jones family knows that look and first appearance do not matter much as knowing a person’s true colours takes much longer. JB being the youngest one in the family and having quite an age gap with her siblings, has always been protected even without her knowing. Jughead and Veronica followed her in their car for an entire evening as per their father’s orders when she was in high school and went on her first date with a classmate. Veronica thinks that was the creepiest thing she has ever done in her life till date. Sweet Pea insisted on helping Archie to do the dishes. FP and Fred retired to the living room to enjoy a couple of drinks and spend some time in reminiscence before their kids join them. Veronica was about to clean the table and ask Jug to put the leftovers in fridge when JB stopped them both.

“I have something to tell you guys.”

Both her siblings froze in place. All bad ideas floating through their mind. Some trouble at work? Some concern in her relationship? Did she fight with her supervisor? Did Sweet Pea hit her?

JB looked at both of them before huffing in annoyance, “Guys! I’m not in school and got detention for taking a nap in science class.”

Jug and Veronica relaxed with a laugh as they remembered the incident.

“What’s it JB?” Veronica asked softly.

The younger girl twisted a lock of her hair in her fingers excitedly and said, “We decided to move in together.”

A minute of deafening silence.

“You decided to move in with _Sweet Pea_?” Jughead clarified flatly.

The brunette threw a pointed glance towards her brother and repeated, “Sweet Pea and I decided to move in together.”

“Absolutely not!” Veronica’s voice came an octave higher and a bit harsher than she intended.

JB’s brows knitted in disbelief, “Excuse me? I don’t remember asking for your permission. It was merely informative.”

The raven-haired woman had to grip a chair to regain her composure as Jughead’s comforting hand came to rest on her shoulder, “JB. Listen to me. You don’t want to make…”

“No, you listen to me Ronnie.” The youngest Jones was furious. Her nostrils flared and cheeks became red with anger.

“I’m twenty two and I don’t need your input in my personal life. You are not my mom. Don’t try to act like you are.”

Jughead interjected, “Jelly, don’t speak to your sister like that.”

“Oh yeah? Or what? You will punch me the way you broke the police brutality law and punched that guy in closed interrogation room?”

“That’s enough”, Veronica yelled, holding Jughead back who was losing his temper.

“Just because you made a mistake once moving in with wrong person, does not mean the same fate is waiting for me. I can take care of myself.” JB retorted angrily and stormed out of the room.

Veronica pulled her lower lip in between her teeth and pressed on it to numb the sharp pain caused by waves of unpleasant memories. Jughead held his sister firmly in his arms. They have been accustomed to Jellybean’s mood swings and heated arguments. She always felt that her elder siblings gang up on her and refused to listen to any of their suggestions. But today her words were like sharp stabs to their guts. The memories from which they are continuously running away came back flooding.

* * *

Betty has been undercover before for her work. But she has never been an undercover as a prostitute before. She took the help of Cherry to dress her up as one of the girls. Her blonde curls hidden behind a brunette wig. Fishnet socks, black bralette top and a leather skirt tight around her thighs. Showing her smooth pale skin over the cleavage and long legs. Her makeup completed with dark mascara, face paint and cherry red lipstick. She considered using blue lens to change her eye colour but decided against it at the last moment. Her green eyes were shining brightly against the contrast of the eyeshadow and mascara she applied. Cherry insisted that she should take the back alley where Emma disappeared. Partly because, there were chances that the car would be spotted there again but mostly because she did not want their pimp to notice a new girl suddenly appearing in the streets. It turned out their pimp was the same man managing the shabby bar where she met Betty the first time.

She scanned the street for anything suspicious. The sun was almost overhead. All girls who went out last night came back today. No one is missing. She kept her gaze locked on the parking spot the whole day. No cars came to park there. She was a bit relieved knowing that no one was hurt or missing last night. Her small recorder was in the shiny purse slung over her shoulder, ready to be on with a button press. The hairs in the back of her neck stood as she sensed someone observing her. She chanced a quick look around but found no one. Still uncomfortable from the feeling of being watched, she headed towards her motel room. Maybe she could use a shower, food and few hours sleep before the night falls and the street becomes busy with business.

* * *

Jughead and Toni were being briefed by their sergeant on a case of family murder when his phone buzzed. He took a glance at the caller ID and was surprised to see it was one of his informants, Andy from Bronx area. He met this guy a couple of years ago and he was a witness in a prostitute murder case. He is a good guy but had to take some rather shady jobs to make money. Jughead helped him to get back on tracks. Since then, Andy has willingly worked as his eyes and ears in that neighbourhood.

He called back once the briefing was over and Andy answered in the first ring, “I saw her, boss.”

“You saw whom?” he asked startled.

“The woman from the T.V. She was wearing a black wig and was dressed as a hooker. But it was her.”

“um…you mean Be…Elizabeth Cooper?” he pinched the bridge of his nose.

Andy confirmed that he actually saw the infamous blonde under a disguise roaming the streets of that area. He knew that area well. There was a small bar and they believed that the owner acted as the pimp for the girls in the streets of that neighbourhood. But what was Betty doing there? Was she safe? He quickly discarded the thought. Her safety is _not_ his concern. She would not dress as one of the girls and roam the streets unless she had a story to uncover. They did not have any report of crime from that area. He quickly searched through the recent news stories and came up empty.

“Andy, do you know anything happening in that area?”

“No, boss. I was out of town for quite some time. But before that, nothing happened.”

“Keep an eye on her, will you?” he whispered. He hated the tone of concern in his voice when he wanted to present himself as the tough detective only caring to solve a crime.

“We have a case to solve, Jones”, Toni reminded him. She had a point. Searching for a non-existent case is definitely less productive than working on an active case. Maybe Andy was mistaken. Maybe that was someone else. But his gut kept telling him that she was already planning her next move.

* * *

She watched as the black sedan pulled over in the same spot. She started sauntering towards the car lazily. Eyes and ears extra alert. Her heartbeats were erratic but she calmed her breathing. There was an older man’s head poking out of the window. She saw as another girl with ginger hair leaned on the car window, with a flirty smile and wink. The man looked a little nervous but he shook his head and asked the girl something. Her expression hardened as she walked away. Betty noticed the change in the man’s facial muscles when he saw her approaching the car. The man rolled down the window further and looked at her hopefully. She smirked when she was close enough.

“How may I help you sir?” She managed to ask in a husky tone which she hoped was seductive enough. The man did not seem to mind though. He gave her a once over and told, “I have not seen you before.”

“I was working somewhere else”, she confirmed, maintaining her best enticing smile. She pressed herself lower on the side of the car, successfully showing more of her cleavage. To her surprise, the man did not even look at the exposed skin. He carefully examined her hair and face and was opening the door for her to enter.

“I know the normal rate”, the man told her. “I’m a regular.”

“Oh?” she feigned innocence. “You know girls around here?”

He nodded.

“Who is your favourite?” she asked while running a finger on the man’s arm. He did not respond for some time. Then as he started the engine, his left hand made a quick cross sign over his heart and he sighed, “They all were good girls.”

She did not miss the way he mentioned the girls in past tense. With expert’s skill, her hand slipped through her purse to press the recorder on.

“What’s your name?” he asked.

“Crystal”, she made up this name long before she came on the street tonight. All her undercovers, she uses this name again and again unless there was any potential risk of the name being recognized. Maybe a part of her still feels guilty for the bubbly girl who once carried this name with her. This is her way of paying tribute to this name.

The car came to a halt nearly half an hour later. She could see the outline of a house in a dimly lit street. She quickly glanced around to understand the layout of the neighbourhood. It was all individual houses with lots of empty spaces in between them. This was a one-story modest house. The man guided her inside the house where she was greeted by an elderly lady. She was confused by the chain of events. She did not expect anyone else in the household. The story she was told by the elderly couple was quite intriguing. They claimed themselves to be Mr. and Mrs. Ryan. They have their only son Daniel. Daniel was in a car accident three months back. He has lost the strength of his legs. So, he is fulltime on wheelchair now. They hire prostitutes to boost up Daniel’s self-confidence. Mrs. Ryan let out quiet sobs while detailing the situation, “his therapist agreed to try this way and he is much better now. Every time he is able to…perform, he feels better.”

She quickly calculated the time when the disappearances started and linked it to the starting of Daniel’s ‘treatment’. She bit her tongue to prevent herself from asking if this performance is sexual or homicidal.

Mr. Ryan was nodding all along and when he spoke his voice had a tinge of sadness, “he is so much better now. He liked the last one, Emma.”

She had to curl her fingers in a fist to hide her nerves. His wife shot daggers at him and he controlled himself from spilling any more unnecessary information.

Betty smiled sickly sweet, “Where is Daniel?”

They ushered her to a bedroom. The room was decorated mostly in grey and black. There was a young man at a desk. He was sitting on his wheelchair. His laptop was open. He turned around when his parents called him and his eyes raked over Betty’s body. There was no lust in them just plain blank look.

“Honey, Crystal is here for you”, Mrs. Ryan almost cooed in affection. He did not move or tear away his eyes from her. Betty stepped into the room as his parents closed the door behind her swiftly. She assumed that will be locked from outside. She was not nervous about that. Rather with a flick of her fingers she locked the door from inside too. Other girls fell into the trap unknowingly. She has come prepared. Her hidden pocket in leather skirt has her mobile with the tracker app installed in it. Alice has the live updates of her location any time. Her right leg ankle boot has a short knife attached to it. With a sway in her hips, she approached Daniel’s wheelchair. She saw as his stare changed into one of naked hunger, lingering over the slope of her breasts and exposed legs. She straddled him with both her hands joining in the back of his neck. His hands came groping her breasts. He bit on her bare shoulder hungrily. She faked a pleased moan and started grinding her hips against him. Within a couple of minutes, she could see beads of sweat on the young man’s forehead. The more he tried to match her pace and failed, the more he became irritated.

She abruptly asked him, “Do you like it handsome?”

He looked at her with desperate chocolate colour eyes and a gruff voice came, “shut the fuck up. Don’t act like you care. Nobody cares.”

“I care”, she assured him. She knew her recorder will record every syllable clearly.

“No, you don’t”, he growled. “They all pretend. Then they don’t. You are just one of them.”

“By them, you mean Emma?” she slowed her pace more preparing herself for taking out her knife any moment now.

He looked at her for a few moments before continuing, “All of them. Emma. Rose. Natasha. Sharon.”

She recognized the first three names being the missing girls from the street. She could not place the name Sharon though.

“They left you?” she asked innocently.

He growled again, “They tried. But I punished them first. So, they could not.”

 _Where are the bodies?_ She needed the bodies. She frantically tried to remember if she saw any sign of basement in their house. They would need the proof. But that concern quickly faded from her mind. Because his grip has become unpleasantly tight on her waist. One of his hand has come up to her neck. It was her chance to finish this now. With a swift forward move, she almost choked him in between her breasts as she reached for her knife and held it out. In a moment of bewilderment his grip loosened and she leapt backwards on her feet, pointing the knife straight at his throat. Without disturbing her position, she fished out her phone and hit the speed dial, “Mom, come with the full crew.”

“Who the hell are you?” Daniel shouted. She kept her hand steady as she took another step back and ordered in a cold voice, “Tell me the whole story.”

* * *

Daniel Ryan was an aspiring basketball player who was paralysed after a tragic car accident. The car was driven by his father who got out of it unscathed. But he blamed himself for it since then. Daniel lost his friends. His girlfriend, Sharon. His sports scholarship to college. His normal life. He locked himself up in his room for first two months. Then, he told his parents that he needed release, sexual release. First time, his father brough a girl home, he was not able to perform and he hit himself. It did not feel any better. His condition became worse. Next time when it happened, he hit the girl. He felt a strange satisfaction in the girl’s cry of agony. He felt powerful again. The girl managed to scramble out of the house bloodied. He choked Natasha to death unknowingly. He did not even know when the brunette stopped breathing under his pressure on her neck. But it gave him the necessary satisfaction he wanted. Then it became a routine. He preferred brunette, medium sized girls who looked like his ex-girlfriend. He could control them easily. His parents were terrified after the first incident. But they managed to hide the body in their basement and his father again gave in to his demand for another girl following week. He never stopped to emotionally blackmail his father saying that he was the cause for all of this. His mother supported him throughout sharing the same mindset, “they are only random girls on street. My son’s happiness is more precious than their lives.”

Alice Cooper came with her crew within ten minutes of her daughter’s call. Even in the hurry she packed a t-shirt and jeans for Betty as she knew her outfit will not be appropriate to appear on television. Ryan family was taken off guard by a dozen of press crew at their doorstep. Betty could hear her mother’s booming voice from inside the room, “where is my daughter?”

She pounded on the closed door from inside. Alice did not waste any time to barge into the house with a screaming Mrs. Ryan threatening to sue her for trespassing. Unlocking the door revealed a triumphant Betty who already recorded Daniel’s confession on the recorder. Without a word Alice handed her the dress she brought and nodded in approval. She knew that was the closest her mother would ever come to say “I love you.”

* * *

Jughead just finished his dinner and was absorbed in a book when the doorbell startled him. He got more confused when he saw his sister, tired and resigned, on the other side of the door. She threw her purse on the couch and switched on the television without any explanation. He watched her as she changed the channel to Crime TV.

“Clearly, Ryan family is a family of psychopaths who hurt innocent girls. They were someone’s daughter, someone’s sister, someone’s mother. We would like to pay respect to them with a minute of silence.”

Alice Cooper’s loud voice boomed with continuous flashing headlines about “Missing prostitutes from Bronx: Elizabeth Cooper solves the Mystery”.

They called 911 and the officers found three decomposed bodies in the basement. They were working on the identification. The camera captured some of the girls on street with Crime TV’s staff reporters. The girls thanked Elizabeth profusely. They never bothered to report the crime as Police never take their complaints seriously. But she came to them, she listened to them and she did it for them.

“As we can clearly see, this is a failure on NYPD’s part. I would like to get the attention of our Police Commissioner on this matter and we all hope for him to treat all the citizens of his city with equal importance.”

Alice was grinning broadly. Then, she gestured someone to step into the view and her daughter’s face appeared, with a winning smile. She summed up how the girls needed help and how she would love to help anyone in need again, anyone whose cry for justice does not reach the ears of law enforcement officers.

He punched on the wooden table hard, “fuck.”

He knew it. It was her. Andy was not mistaken.

Veronica squeezed his shoulders trying to soothe his tension. For a moment he started to relax. But then Betty’s face beamed at the camera, “We will come back with more such stories. And we will continue to solve the cases until NYPD does their job properly. See you again. Till then, sayonara.”

She was looking into the lens but he knew that it was directed to him. Only him. Her taunt is for him because she won this round.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tbh at this point, I'm just writing to escape the depression from s5 and live in the aus.


End file.
